Apparatus for the solidifying or casting of molten materials



' Oct. 25, 1933.

J. L. ST ECHER APPARATUS FOR THE SOLIDIFYING 0R CASTING OF MOLTEN'MATERIALS Filed Dec. 9, 1936 muozEm mwmm A m 'NVENTOR. JosephLEIechEn ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 25, 1938 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FOR. THE SOLIDIFY ING OR CASTING OF MOLTEN MATERIALS Joseph L. Stecher, Wilmington, DeL, assignor to E. 1. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application December 9, 1936, Serial No. 115,045

6 Claims.

This invention relates to chemical apparatus, more particularly it relates to an apparatus for the solidifying or casting of liquid or molten materials, still more particularly it relates to the solidifying or casting and/or conveying of easily oxidizable materials, still more particularly it relates to the batch casting and/or conveying of materials, and still more particularly it relates to an apparatus for the batch casting and conveying of sodium lead alloy, to an'apparatus train, and to processes.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel and improved apparatus for the solidifying and/or conveying of liquid or molten materials and solid materials. It is a further object to provide an apparatus which will maintain materials to be treated out of contact with air and moisture. It is a still further object to provide an apparatus train which is useful in transforming liquid materials to finely divided powders. A still further object is to provide an apparatus for the casting and/or conveying of sodium lead alloy. Other objects are to advance the art. Still other objects will appear hereinafter.

These objects may be accomplished in accordance with my invention which comprises the I novel device disclosed in the drawing and described hereinafter, together with the method of employing the same. 1 30 In the drawing, similar reference character refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the apparatus with parts of the structure in section and parts broken away for the sake of clearness in illustration.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken along the broken line 2-2 of Fig. 1-

Fig. 3 is a schematical view showing an apparatus train.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a modified bottom wall construction.

- Referring in detail to the construction illustrated, the apparatus comprises a body I which is a totally enclosed rectangular chamber surrounded on all sides and on the charg g end by a jacket 2. The body has a charging inlet 3 and a discharging outlet 4. At the charging inlet 3 a flexible gas-tight connection is made to a heated line through which molten material may be charged into the body 'of the apparatus. Near the discharge opening 4' an inclined plate 5 forms a dam on the bed surface of the enclosure and extends across its entire width. A gas-tight flexible connection .6 is provided at 4 for attachment between the discharge opening and a grinding apparatus or any suitable piece of equipment, to obtain an eflicient connection. The bottom wall 8 of the chamber 1 may be fiat, curved or corrugated, or of any other suit- '5 able design. Preferably, it is corrugated and the corrugations extend lengthwise. This construction gives greater efiiciency in heat exchange. A conduit 9 is provided in the top of chamber 1- and establishes communication between that chamber and the source of supplyof an inert gas such as nitrogen. Sight glasses l0 and II are provided in the upper portion of the chamber 1 and the end portion, respectively,'for lighting and viewing the interior thereof. The complete unit is rigidly connected by a structural member 12 to a device l3 for agitating the body I. The jacket 2 is provided with an inlet connection' l4 and an outlet connection l5 for the circulation of a heat exchange medium. The jacket 2 preferably consists of a shell having a corrugated surface. I prefer a construction which embodies a plurality of welded angles 16 which are connected to a common header I1 and to common headers l8, respectively. The angle irons are welded to the body I at the ends of the angle irons, as shown at I 9. Around sight opening lo a channel 20 is provided which allows for circulation of fluid through the angles I6 around the opening.

The agitating means I3 may be any suitable mechanical or electrical unit which will impart to the caster a sort of pitching motion. To be more specific, a relatively slow linear movement with a quick reverse movement is desired. This type causes a vibration of the entire unit as a rigid body moving parallel-with itself. Thus, a cam arrangement or a link arrangement which is attached to a driving mechanism, may be used. I prefer, however, to use an electrically 4o energized vibratory motor element which is designated as 2|. A plurality of vibratory elements can "be used if the unit is of extensive length. Such devices have been commonly used on vibrating screens.

Briefly, the operation of the apparatus is somewhat as follows: A cooling medium is .circuv 4 lated through the Jacket 2. The interior cham-' ber! of the body I is urged with an inert gas, such as nitrogen, and as soon as-all air or oxygen-containing gases are removed from the body molten material, such as sodium lead alloy is fed from a tank 22 above, through the charging opening onto the bed surface. The bed is maintained in substantially a horizontal position and material is charged until it covers the entire length of the bed to a maximum thickness equal to the height of the inclined plate 5. When the desired thickness of charge is obtained, the supply is stopped and a sufiicient time is allowed for total solidification of the mass. After the charge has solidified, it is discharged through opening 4 by causing the unit to vibrate in one of the manners described so that the alloy is conveyed over the edge of plate 5 where it falls from the casting unit by gravity.

It is also possible to operate the apparatus continuously. It has been found that by maintaining the unit under auniform agitation, a

charge may be continuously fed onto the bed The apparatus may be used for conveying pur poses alone. To illustrate this embodiment of the invention, the operation is somewhat as follows: Heated solid materials are charged into the chamber I while a cooling fluid is circulated through the jacket 2. The material is cooled as it is conveyed from the charging port to the discharging port. Thus, in this embodiment of the invention, the inclined plate 5 is removed or adlusted so that it does not interfere with proper conveying. The unit when it is to be used for a purely conveying purpose, may be of considerable length and may have a plurality of vibrating units attached to the same. Thus, materials which contain toxic or corrosive vapors may be safely cooled and conveyed by utilizing this embodiment of the present invention.

I have further discovered that by mounting a tank or vessel which contains a supply of material to be solidified or cast by a flexible connection to a caster unit and by another flexible connection to a grinder, that a novel apparatus train which is very useful in solidifying and comminuting materials is obtained.

An additional caster unit may be placed between the caster and grinder to act as a conveyor and to obtain additional heat removal. A similar unit may be placed upon the discharge side of the grinder to obtain still further heat removal and/or to convey the ground product to other apparatus for further processing or to storage or packing plants.

Briefly, the operation of the apparatus train is somewhat as follows: Molten material from tank 22 is. charged into the casting apparatus, which is cooled by circulation of a heat exchanging fluid, until a charge of sufficient depth has been applied. The charge is solidified and the vibratory element is set in operation. This causes the solidified material to break into pieces of varying size which are conveyed to the discharging port and subsequently ground to a powder of any desired degree of fineness in the grinder 23. Thus, the apparatus allows for the continuous processing of materials which are easily oxidizable and/or which contain toxic vapors continuously conveyed and discharged.-

from a molten state to a finely divided solid state. The materials by utilizing the apparatus of this invention may be maintained in an enclosed system during the complete operation. It may also be placed under pressure, if desired. For example, in the treatment of sodium-lead alloy an inert atmosphere (via, nitrogen) maintained under 2. pressure of about two pounds per square inch gives excellent results.

This invention and the apparatus are not lim-- ited in their application to the treatment of sodium-lead alloy, as above described, but may be adapted for use with metals and alloys in general; or with non-metallic inorganic materials such as sodium acetate and the like, or organic materials such as phthalic anhydride and sodium sulioxylate formaldehyde.

The apparatus has the advantage that it allows for the solidifying or casting and/or conveying of materials in a more efiicient, economical and rapid manner than has been possible with devices heretofore employed. The apparatus has the additional advantage that it maintains the material treated out of contact with harmful gases such as air or water vapor. The apparatus has the additional advantage that liquid materials may be solidified andobtained in a comminuted state by its employment.

While I have disclosed the preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many variations and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be limited solely by the appended claims construed as broadly as is permissible in view of the prior art.

I claim:

1. A device of the class described which comprises a horizontally disposed body including a closed chamber of appreciable length and relativelynarrow cross-sectional area having heat exchange jackets at the portions of the chamber in contact with the material to be treated, a charging port at one end at the top and a discharging port on the bottom at the other end, vibratory means of small amplitude connected to the body for vibrating the chamber and means for actuating the vibratory means, a. conduit for an inert gas communicating with the interior chamber formed by the body, the bottom wall of said chamber being corrugated in cross section, said corrugations extending lengthwise, said body being otherwise imperforate.

2. A conveying device which comprises a horizontally disposed rectangular body including a closed chamber of'appreciable length and relatively small cross sectional area having a charging port at the top on one end and a discharging port at the bottom on the other end thereof, at least the portions of the chamber in contact with thematerial to be treated being jacketed. the bottom wall of the chamber and the outer wall of the jacket being corrugated in cross section, the corrugations extending lengthwise, and vibratory means connected to said body for vibrating the chamber and means foractuating the which extends across the chamber formed by the ing a charging port at one end at the top thereof,

body and forms a reservoir with the walls thereof, said plate being inclined upwardly toward the discharging port, and at least one vibratory means attached to said body for vibrating the chamber and means for actuating the vibratory means.

' interior chamber formed by the body, and at least one vibratory means attached to said body for vibrating the chamber and means for actuating the vibratory means.

5. A casting and conveying device which comprises a horizontally disposed jacketed body including a closed chamber of appreciable length and relatively narrow cross-sectional area hava discharging port at the bottom at the opposite end, an inclined plate near the discharging end which extends-across the chamber formed by the body and forms a reservoir with the walls thereof, said plate being inclined upwardly toward the discharging port, and vibratory means attached to said body having a small amplitude for vibrating the chamber and means for actuating the vibratory means.

6. A casting and conveying device which comprises a horizontally disposed jacketed body including. a closed chamber or appreciable length and relatively narrow cross-sectional area having a charging port at one end at the top thereof, a discharging port at the bottom at the opposite end, an inclined plate near the dischargin end which extends across the chamber formed by.

the body and forms a reservoir with the walls thereof, said plate being inclined upwardly toward'the discharging port, and'vibratory means attached to said body for vibrating the chamber and means for actuating the vibratory means, the bottom walls being corrugated in cross section, the corrugations running lengthwise.

g J. L. STICKER. 

